Where does one find the Best Pub Lunch in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town?

Last week I decided to start some research on Pub Fare available in Ward 59 where I reside; the Claremont – Kenilworth – Newlands – Rondebosch areas to start with and may spread our wings further afield over the coming weeks.

I started with that firm old favourite of so many, The Foresters Arms better known as Forries in Newlands on last week. Established in 1852, Foresters Arms is the oldest pub in South Africa! In fact, it has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records for the most beer sold in the Southern Hemisphere.

The truth be told I hadn’t been to Forries for well over 30 years. I have many wonderful memories of those heady days at the old Forries. On arrival a waiter greeted me with a pleasant smile of welcome, with the lunchtime rush over I was looking forward to some really excellent service along with some really great pub grub. The wait staff was not as attentive as they should have been, don’t know whether it was because the lunchtime rush was over or what and they had shifted down a couple of gears. The pub itself was practically empty however the garden was still abuzz. Eventually I got my pint and menu and took a good look through the entire thing. I was there for the pub grub, not the Al-La-Carte.

I eventually decided on the Steak and Stout Pie, which according to the menus is “a traditional old English favourite, with a crispy pastry top, and served with chips Freshly prepared to order, takes a little longer, but is well worth the wait!” It looked like it when it finally arrived; the pastry was deep brown and flaky as it should be. The accompanying chips were blerry awful soft and mushy, why is it chefs go the frozen route with chips I don’t know, wake up peeps the only way to go the fresh vege route which always wins, hand cut chips made from fresh potatoes are always the best. I would have preferred the choice either fluffy creamy mash or new potatoes in their jackets on the side. A big bunch of points deducted for those chips.

The pie filling did not live up to my expectations at all, though the meat was quite chunky, I just could not find any stout or beef flavour in the mix, there was also an unexpected pungent herby/spice I couldn’t quite put my taste buds to, still don’t know what it was, it was quite unpleasant. it was something that really killed all the other flavours and spoiled the entire dish for me. At R88.00 for what was plated was not worth the price at all, blerry expensive, either fix flavour or take it off the menu. If it is to be kept on the menu, once the flavours have been fixed serve a side of salad with the dish to add value. It would have been a good idea to have a fresh roll to soak up the gravy too. I will pat another visit in a couple go moths to see if they have fixed the problems.

All in all not a very good start to the 2014 All Jazz Radio Great Southern Suburbs Best Pub Lunch search is it? Ok, you too can be part of the fun. Have a go at writing your own review about you favourite watering hole and the food on their pub menu, all we ask is to be downright straight and tell it like it is, then send it to us at info@alljazzradio.co.za and type in the subject line THE GREAT PUB GRUB SEARCH and we’ll publish it on the All Jazz Radio website

The Klutz in the Kitchen Rates the venue – ★★

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The Klutz in the Kitchen Rating System

★= Really bad, horrible, unpleasant, and abysmal

★★ = Better than bad, tolerable with a show of promise

★★★ = Middling, acceptable to adequate, not too bad but could be still better